Welcome to What She Does, the podcast that spills the tea on surprisingly cool jobs — and the women behind them.
In each episode, Annie Sinzinger and Liane Starr take you inside a career journey, from the first spark to the unexpected twists that shaped it. You’ll hear the real stuff — how she got there, the detours and curveballs, the personality traits, the life lessons, and how her profession is evolving. She shares her best advice to her younger self and offers a peek into the future of her field — from AI to surprising new opportunities.
Think of it as part career confessional, part field guide to the modern world of work.
Bar Exam to Bar Cart: Tequila Brand Founder Mara Smith on Starting Over
Tequila brand founder Mara Smith went from Big Law attorney to 16 years at home with her kids to launching an additive-free tequila company.
Mara shares how she taught herself a heavily regulated industry, what it really costs to launch a product business, and why the skills she built as a lawyer, a corporate strategist, and a parent all carry over to running a startup.
This episode covers:
• Why she started her own company instead of returning to corporate work
• How she taught herself tequila production and U.S. alcohol regulation
• The 18-month path from idea to finished bottle
• What tequila labels don’t have to tell you
• The upfront costs of a product-based business
• Transferable skills from law, corporate strategy, and parenting
• Why she’d tell her younger self to take more risks
13 Oct 2026
Choreographed Chaos: Broadway Dresser Teri Pruitt on Life Backstage
Broadway wardrobe professional Teri Pruitt dresses performers eight shows a week at Wicked and keeps The Lion King's shoes show-ready.
Teri talks with Liane and Annie about the ninety-second quick changes that happen in the wings, what really goes on when a costume piece goes missing, and how a Kansas kid who said yes to doing props built a career backstage in New York.
This episode covers:
• What a Broadway dresser actually does, and what a two-show day looks like
• Why every backstage quick change is choreographed
• Wardrobe disasters, duct tape and backstage problem solving
• Working with difficult colleagues: "hello, goodbye, and work-related information"
• How to break into theater wardrobe, no degree required
• Making a mid-career pivot by finding what comes easily to you
• Her advice to her younger self: be you, without the armor
After the interview, Annie and Liane debrief on the skills, connections and career paths behind wardrobe work, from Broadway to national tours, cruise lines and theme parks.
6 Oct 2026
Naming the Unknown: Forensic Genetic Genealogist Christine Burke on DNA & Identity
What does a forensic genetic genealogist do? Christine Burke uses DNA and family trees to name unidentified remains, solve cold cases, and give families answers.
A former undercover officer, police detective, and the first female sergeant in her department, Christine discovered through a 2017 DNA test that she wasn't who she thought she was. It took her years to find her own answers. Now she helps police and courts find theirs.
This episode covers:
• What forensic genetic genealogy is, and how DNA works like a neighborhood canvas
• Going undercover in a high school (and getting invited to prom)
• Women in law enforcement: refusing an order to push women out of her department
• Why she believes genetic genealogy belongs inside police departments, not for-profit labs
• The 15,000+ unidentified remains cases still open in the U.S.
• How to become a forensic genetic genealogist: skills, education, and career paths
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Apple Podcasts (US)
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